Chapter 5 Winds and Global Circulation

Visualizing Physical Geography Copyright 2008 John Wiley and Sons Publishers Inc.

Atmospheric Pressure Atmospheric pressure: pressure exerted by the atmosphere because of the force of gravity acting upon the overlying column of air
Atmospheric pressure at a single location varies slightly from day to day
Barometer: instrument that measures atmospheric pressure

Visualizing Physical Geography Copyright 2008 John Wiley and Sons Publishers Inc.

Atmospheric Pressure Air Pressure and Altitude

Atmospheric pressure decreases with altitude

Visualizing Physical Geography Copyright 2008 John Wiley and Sons Publishers Inc.

Local Wind Patterns Winds are identified by the direction from which the wind comes Wind vane? Anemometer?

Visualizing Physical Geography Copyright 2008 John Wiley and Sons Publishers Inc.

Local Wind Patterns

Pressure Gradients
Wind is caused by differences in atmospheric pressure from one place to another Air tends to move from regions of high pressure to regions of low pressure

Isobars ?
Pressure gradient: change of atmospheric pressure measured along a line at right angles to the isobars

Visualizing Physical Geography Copyright 2008 John Wiley and Sons Publishers Inc.

Pressure Gradients develop because of unequal heating in the atmosphere

Local Wind Patterns Local Winds

Santa Ana winds Sea and land Breezes

Mountain and valley winds

Cyclones and Anticyclones Coriolis Effect: effect of the Earths rotation that acts like a force to deflect a moving object on the Earths surface to the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern hemisphere
Acts at right angles to direction of motion Deflects to right in the northern hemisphere, left in the southern hemisphere No deflection at equator, maximum deflection at poles

Cyclones and Anticyclones Coriolis Effect Balance of Forces on a parcel of surface air:
Pressure Gradient Coriolis Effect
Strength increases with speed of motion Strength decreases with latitude

Friction
Exerted by ground surface Proportional to wind speed Acts opposite to direction of motion

Cyclones and Anticyclones Cyclone: center of low atmospheric pressure

Air spirals inward (convergence) and upward Associated with cloudy, rainy weather

Anticyclone: center of high atmospheric pressure

Air spirals downward and outward (divergence) Associated with fair weather

Global Wind and Pressure Patterns

Subtropical high-pressure belts: belts of persistent high atmospheric pressure centered at about lat. 30 N and S
Polar Front: front lying between cold polar air masses and warm tropical air masses

Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ): zone of convergence of air masses along the equatorial trough

Hadley Cell: lowlatitude atmospheric circulation cell with rising air over the equatorial trough and sinking air over the subtropical highpressure belts
Visualizing Physical Geography Copyright 2008 John Wiley and Sons Publishers Inc.

Global Wind and Pressure Patterns

ITCZ and Monsoon Circulation
ITCZ and Hadley cells shift with the seasons Shift is very large in Asia

Visualizing Physical Geography Copyright 2008 John Wiley and Sons Publishers Inc.

ITCZ and Monsoon Circulation

Monsoon: seasonal reversal of winds

Winds Aloft
Pressure decreases less rapidly with height in warmer air than in colder air
There is a temperature gradient from the equator to the poles So, at high altitudes there is a pressure gradient from the equator to the polesstrong winds at high altitudes

Winds Aloft

The Geostrophic Wind

Forces acting on an upper air parcel: 1. Pressure gradient force: Moves from high pressure to low pressure 2. Coriolis force Deflects to right in NH, to left in SH Pressure gradient force balances coriolis force Wind blows parallel to isobars

Geostrophic Wind: wind at high levels above the Earths surface blowing parallel with a system of straight parallel isobars

Winds Aloft Global Circulation at Upper Levels:

Winds Aloft Rossby Waves, Jet Streams, and the Polar Front
Rossby waves:
Arise in the polar front Contribute to variable weather in mid-latitudes
Rossby waves: horizontal undulations in the flow path of the upper-westerlies; upper-air waves Polar front: zone where cold polar air meets warm tropical air

Flow of air along front smooth for days or weeks.

Undulations begin and Become stronger. Rossby Wave forms. Warm air Pushed poleward, cold air south

Waves stronger. Tongue of cold air Brough south and warm north.

Tongue pinched off. Pool of cold air farther south than originally. Become cyclones of cold air Persist for days of weeks.

Winds Aloft

Jet streams: high-speed air flow in narrow bands within the upper-air westerlies and along certain other global latitude zones at high levels

Visualizing Physical Geography Copyright 2008 John Wiley and Sons Publishers Inc.

 Polar-front jet stream Westerly; associated with Rossby waves Subtropical jet stream Westerly; above subtropical highpressure cells Tropical easterly jet stream Runs east to west Summer only Develops in Asia

Ocean Currents

Oceanic circulation:

Ocean current: persistent, dominantly horizontal flow of water

Currents exchange heat between high and low latitudes

Ocean Currents

Large-Scale Circulation of Ocean Waters

Visualizing Physical Geography Copyright 2008 John Wiley and Sons Publishers Inc.

Ocean Currents

Current Patterns
During an El Nio event:
Upwelling along Peruvian coast ceases Trade winds weaken Weak equatorial eastward current develops

 Moisture and temperature patterns alter